Both men charged with setting a house fire on Stewart Street have voluntarily turned themselves in.
Brian P. Manley, 19, of Clarence, N.Y., made his initial appearance in Athens County Municipal Court on Tuesday on charges of aggravated arson and burglary, first- and second-degree felonies, respectively.
His accused accomplice, Mark R. Norman, 20, of Worthington, Ohio, had his case bound over to the Athens County Common Pleas Court on Friday after waiving his initial appearance. He is facing the same charges as Manley.
Both men are listed as having entered no plea. In a felony case, a defendant cannot enter a plea in municipal court. It was not immediately clear when they will next appear in court.
Manley and Norman are both listed as Ohio University students in the school’s online directory.
Because both men voluntarily turned themselves in, Lt. Jeff McCall said the nationwide arrest warrants have been recalled. He added both have since hired lawyers, but he could not comment on whether the Athens Police Department has had any discussion with the defendants.
The charges stem from a fire at 68 Stewart St. in the early morning hours of Feb. 23.
The recalled warrants alleged Manley and Norman kicked in a window at the house and, once inside, ignited a fire that caused extensive damage to the house and attached apartment, 68 1/2 Stewart St.
Michael Duchesne, a spokesman for the Ohio State Fire Marshal, said in a previous interview the damages were estimated at $250,000.
“I can’t go into the investigative details but the fire appeared suspicious and our investigation leads us to believe these are the individuals involved,” Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle told The Post in a previous interview.
The morning of the fire, Manley was also cited by OUPD for underage consumption of alcohol, a first-degree misdemeanor, and criminal trespassing, a fourth-degree misdemeanor.
He has been cited in Athens for underage consumption two other times, as well as once for littering and for telephone harassment. Norman has not previously been cited or arrested in Athens County, according to court records.
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